Convertible furniture.



PATENTED JAN. 17, 1905.

G; P. STEINBACH. CONVERTIBLE FURNITURE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 3, 1904.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

PATENTED JAN, 17, 1905.

No.780,3l1.

G. P. STEINBAGH.

CONVERTIBLE FURNITURE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 3, 1904.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

'HIIIHWMM gluuavitoz Witneoows Sans Patented January 17, 1905.

GEORGE l. STEINBACH, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND.

CONVERTIBLE FURNITURE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N0. 780,311, dated January1'7, 1905.

Application filed May 3, 1904. Serial No. 206,100.

To all whmnjt may concern:

Be it known that I, (inone'n P. SruINBAoI-i, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Baltimore, State of Maryland, have invented certainnew and useful Improvements in G011- vertible Furniture, of which thefollowing is a specification.

My invention relates to convertible furniture, and has for one of itsobjects to construct a piece of furniture which may readily be convertedinto a .chair or table or a combined chair and desk and which may befolded in a compact manner.

The invention consists in the novel construction, combination, andarrangement of the parts, as will hereinafter be more fully described,and pointed out in the claims.

The accompanying drawings illustrate the invention, in \vhicl Figure 1illustrates a perspective view of the device when arranged as a table.Fig. 2

also illustrates a perspective View of the device when arranged as achair. Fig. 3 illustrates another perspective view of the device whenformed into a combined chair and desk. Fig. 4 illustrates a verticalsection of the device, on an enlarged scale, when in the form of a tableand also shows by broken lines the relative position of the parts whenthe same are folded. Fig. 5 illustrates a sectional detail of the upperportion of the device with the two sections of the table-top separated.Fig. 6 is a side elevation of the same. Fig. 7 is a vertical section onthe line 7 7 of Fig. 5 looking in the direction of the dart. Fig. 8 is aver tical section on theline 8 8 of Fig. 6 also looking in the directionof the dart, and Fig. 9 illustrates a sectional detail through theslotted leg and shows a pin extending through the same.

In the drawings, a. designates two parallel front legs, one at eachside, and .7) designates two parallel rear legs, also one at each sideof the device. In the present instance the two front legs a are eachprovided with a slot a, which extends in a direction parallel with thelength of the said legs, and these two slots terminate at a point wherethe front and rear legs at each side cross each other. The front legs aextend upwardly and rearwardly and terminate at a point substantiallyabove the lower end of the rear leg 6, while the said rear legs extendupwardly and forward and terminate substantially above the lower end ofthe front leg. A thumb-screw 6, carried by each of the rear legs 7),serves to bind the two legs together after they have been adjusted totheir proper positions.

A rod 0 extends horizontally between the two front legs a, but at apoint above and to the rear of the slot (1/. This rod has its coderigidly secured in the said legs a and is provided with a spring-arm c,which projects toward the front for a purpose to be presently described.

A seat (Z is provided with two brackets (.Z, one at each side andalittle to the rear, which latter are pivotally supported on said rod 0,and said seat extends toward the front and normally rests on a cross-bar71 on the legs 7). lV hen the device is folded, as indicated by brokenlines in Fig. 4, the spring-arm 0 contacts with the under side of theseat and supports it in an elevated position after the crossbar 5 hasbeen withdrawn from beneath it.

A pin 0& extends through the legs a above the slots (0 and serves toprevent splitting of said legs above said slot.

A horizontal arm a pivotally connects the front and rear legs a. and 7)at their upper ends, the upper end of the front leg (I. being seated ina recess r on the exterior of the arm a, while the upper end of the rearleg I) is seated in a similar recess on the interior of said arm. Thusit will be understood that each arm a is provided with two recesses,one, 1, at the rear and on the exterior side and the other, e at thefront and on the inside. It is obvious that this construction is for thepurpose of compactness when the device is folded. The arms (2 at theirtop surfaces are each provided with a laterallyprojecting tongue 6",which in the present instance is on the outer side, and these tonguesextend in a lengthwise direction of the arms, but are shorter than saidarms.

The top or back of the device is composed of two sections f and 1. Thesection f is provided on the bottom side with two brackets f, which arepivotally connected to the upper ends of the legs a and also to the rearends of the arms a. At the outer sides of the bracket f the section f isalso provided with short strips f each of which has a tongue or sideflange f along its lower edge. hen the section f is folded over on topof the arms 6, these tongues or flanges f register with the tongues c"on the arms for a purpose as will presently appear. The edge of thesection f, against which the section g abuts, is provided with a groovef", which receives a tongue g on said latter section and serves torigidly unite said sections at their abutting edges when broughttogether. The under side of the section g is provided at each side witha strip 9 which extends beyond the tongued edge g, and these strips areeach provided with a groove g which latter when the device is formedinto a table receive the tongues c on the arms and also the tongues orflanges f on the strips f of the section f, and. when thus engaged thetable-top is securely locked down on the arms 6. hen in the form of achair, the grooves 9 receive only the tongues or fiangesf' on the shortstrips f as seen in Fig. 2, and when converted into a combined chair anddesk the said grooves g engage only the tongues e on the arms, as seenin Figs. 3 and 7. By this construction, arrangement, and operation ofthe tongues and grooves the device is rigidly secured together whetherthe same is in the form of a chair, table, or combined chair and desk.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, anddesire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In an article of furniture the combination with the legs, of an armpivotally connected to the upper ends of said legs; a combined top andback of two sections one section of which is pivoted with respect tosaid arms and the other section of which is provided with means forslidably engaging said arms.

2. In an article of furniture the combination with the legs, of an armpivotally connected to the upper ends of said legs and provided with onemember of a tongue-and-groove connection, and a combined top and back oftwo sections one of which is provided with the other member of atongue-anclgroove connection for engagement with the other member on thesaid arm.

3. In an article of furniture the combination with the front and therear legs, of a seat pivotally supported between said front legs; armsconnecting the upper ends of said front and rear legs and a convertibletop and back of two sections, one of which is pivotally supported withrespect to said arms While the other is slidably connected to said arms.

4. In an article of furniture the combination with the legs, of two armspivotally connecting the legs at their upper ends and each having alaterally-projecting tongue, and a combined topand back of two sections,one of which is pivoted at the rear end of said arms and the othersection having strips provided with grooves which engage the tongue onthe arms.

5. In an article of furniture the combination with the legs, of two armspivotally connecting the legs at their upper ends and each arm having alaterally-projecting tongue; a top section pivoted at the rear of saidarms and provided at each side with a tongued strip, and another topsection having a grooved strip which engages the tongues on the arms andalso the tongues on the strips of the firstnamed section.

6. In an article of furniture the combination with the legs, of two armspivotally connecting the legs at their upper ends and each arm having atongue; a combined top and back of two sections one of which is pivotedto the rear ends of said arms and the other having grooved strips whichengage the tongues on said arms and a seat pivotally supported by saidlegs.

7. In an article of furniture the combination with the two front legseach of which is provided with a longitudinal slot; of the two rear legscrossing said front legs and carrying a clamp device; arms connectingthe upper ends of said legs; a seat pivotally supported between saidfront legs, and a combined top and back of two sections, one of which ispivoted at the upper ends of the front legs and the other section beingprovided with means for slidably engaging said arms.

8. The herein-described article of furniture having in combination thefolding legs, a seat pivotally supported between the legs, armspivotally connecting the front and rear legs, and a top made in twoseparable sections of which one section is connected with said rearlegs, and said parts adapted to be adjusted so that they will formeither a table, a chair having a back, or a combined chair and desk-top.

In testimony whereof Iaffix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

GEORGE P. STEINBACH.

\Vitnesses:

J. A. HILLEARY, Jr., CHARLES B. MANN, Jr.

